Gerbera growers join forces for automation
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In early September, the Gerbera Tech Collective cooperative was established. Fifteen Dutch gerbera growers, together representing approximately 115 hectares of cultivation, have joined forces to combine their knowledge, practical experience and expertise. The collective aims to accelerate the development and implementation of automation in gerbera cultivation, creating opportunities to develop and test new technologies in real-life growing conditions.
Gerbera Tech Collective
Rising labour costs and the decreasing availability of workers are driving the need for automation. By working together, the growers have the scale needed to collaborate effectively with technology companies on solutions for both the greenhouse and the processing area. The cooperative brings together the growers' needs and provides technology companies with a single point of contact representing the industry.
Collaboration with Gearbox and Wikotech
The board has signed collaboration agreements with Gearbox and Wikotech. Wikotech will focus on developing a harvesting robot for use in the greenhouse. Gearbox will begin working on automated flower separation and will also explore solutions for automatically placing gerbera stems into processing equipment. Both companies have a proven track record of successful innovations in the floriculture sector.
This collaboration marks another step towards full automation in both the greenhouse and the processing area.
Both technology companies will contribute their technical knowledge and expertise. The participating growers will provide practical insights, make their facilities available for testing and evaluate whether the solutions meet the needs of daily operations in the greenhouse and processing area.
Developing solutions together
The strength of the collective lies in the growers' ability to jointly identify and prioritise their technical needs and validate solutions that work in practice. Gearbox and Wikotech will be responsible for the technical development, supported by Sjaak Bakker on behalf of DigiVation. Florpartners supports the cooperative and facilitates the overall process.
Chairwoman Joyce Lansbergen explains: “As an individual grower, it is difficult to make significant progress with developments like these. By joining forces, we have the scale needed to develop technology that truly works in our greenhouses. This is how we can ensure a strong future for gerbera cultivation in the Netherlands.”
The establishment of Gerbera Tech Collective and the signing of the collaboration agreements mark the first step in a joint approach. Through this initiative, the growers aim to structurally accelerate automation in gerbera cultivation while creating opportunities for other parties interested in working with the collective on practical innovations.
